Battle of Dolina
|strength1=4,800 men |strength2=2,750 men |casualties1=63 dead 569 wounded 17 missing |casualties2=223 bodies found 40 captured }} The Battle of Dolina was a major battle fought between the 17th and 21st of August, 2012 as part of The Johns War, during Operation Johnsarossa. The battle took place in a small once occupied settlement named Dolina, Russia. At the start of August, the Secretive Army had defeated the Johns Army in the Battle of Solnichniy which drove the Johns Army further back until arriving in Dolina, which is not far from occupied Solnichniy. Novy Sobor, another occupied area by the HSA, is also not far from the west, making Dolina a centre for occupation to connect the west occupation to the east occupation. This left concerns for another occupation by the HSA and the SA and another deathly defeat for the Johns Army and its allies. Since the two occupations of Novy Sobor in the Battle of Novy Sobor and the occupation of Solnichniy, military stability and access to get to closed in troops out to safety was restricted, as the HSA and SA victories in the previous battles established anti-aircraft missiles and bases. The two alliances had more interest in Dolina because of its space and it is located in the mountains, which would make it difficult for J.A.A. soldiers to identify any enemy. The Secretive Army declared an invasion on Dolina to drive the Johns Army up north and west, to be caught into a trap since Novy Sobor is directly west. The day before the battle, large vehicles were able to deploy soldiers safely just in case of a sudden invasion. 4,600 men were sent into Dolina while an additional 200 or so were already patrolling. On 17 August, SA personnel attacked the Johns Army from the north side, rather than hiding in the mountains. The SA fighting in the eastern side were quickly overwhelmed and most retreated west or north. The Johns Army successfully defended off the east proportion while there was heavy fighting in the west. On 20 August, platoons of tanks from the PSA arrived in Dolina in order to fend off the remaining invaders. On that same day reinforcements from the SA entered Dolina with seven armored tanks. The Johns Army and the PSA started to advance by 6:30 pm on 20 August, but leaving heavy casualties due to a deadly ambush in northern forest areas. By 20 August, around 200 SA troops were killed and the remaining retreated back north. This was the first major battle won by the Johns Army and the PSA after the previous two defeats. Background In the previous days in August, 2012, the leaders of the Secretive Alliance and Holy Spirit forces successfully captured Solnichniy, making Dolina almost encircled by HSA and SA occupation. The HSA and SA by then had full control of the southern-most areas and Dolina was one of the remaining towns which had not been captured. Dolina serves vital space for military settlements and a great area for guerrilla warfare in case the "defeated" Johns Army and PSA prepare a 2nd invasion on Dolina. Talks among Mitch Spencer, a commander in the Secretive Army had certain interest in Dolina. It would be a disaster if Dolina remained under enemy hands which could give them an alternative solution to recapture Novy Sobor and Solnichniy. Internally, a such capture of Dolina would mean that military cargo and commuting would be much smoother and efficient, rather than having the trouble travelling from taking the highway passing Solnichniy until taking the 4th right turn. As tensions to capture Dolina raised, the HSA and SA had initiated an attack on Dolina and remove all enemies as a "warning". Plans had gone under way several days later. From the Johns Army perspective, Dolina was deemed as a major threat and to be neutralised as soon as possible. They also did admit the HSA and SA were strong after seeing violent defeats from two previous battles. It was major blows for the Johns Army as they attempted to prevent the complete take over of the region which they are fighting in. The Johns Army were given tasks to gas all buildings in case of hiding HSA and SA personnel, and another simple task was to destroy suspected packaging, boxes, and vehicles they are not familiar with. Prelude Before the battle commenced, the Johns Army, with the PSA had been prepared and well armed, and defensive lines were in full swing. Beginning on 10 August, Secretive Army personnel began inspecting Dolina without fully occupying it. These were supported by the 26th SA regiment and the 27th SA regiment. A day later the two regiments overran the bases of Msta, Staroye, and Tulga, which are south from Dolina and not far from it. It was known as peaceful since there were no shots fired, no enemy action, and no resistance. The HSA estimated that the regiments could overrun an army of 4,000 enemy soldiers in a matter of minutes from the occupied bases of Msta, Staroye, and Tulga. So far no casualties were on both sides but tensions to attack were getting higher. Meanwhile in the next few days, the Secretive Army, joined with the Holy Spirit Army further advanced to Dolina, but did no occupy it, seeing as they were waiting for any signs of enemy troops to attempt to capture it. After the operations, the two alliances had finally declared an attack in a matter of days, as military settlements began to be built. The town was only defended by 200 soldiers, being quickly outnumbered. Battle On the morning of 17 August, 2012, the HSA and SA made their final preparations for their assault on Dolina, while the Johns Army and PSA had successfully set up full defence lines. While the two enemy alliances had assembled their formations, they attacked the Johns Army in an unexpected manner an hour earlier than scheduled. Fighting had intensified within hours. By 18 August, the HSA and SA had lost position on the east proportion, while the Johns Army began an assault on fleeing troops, most of them getting killed. However, the Johns Army and PSA sustained heavy casualties while firing on fleeing eastern troops due to assaults on the western side. In the night, firing was ceased, although it was reported that three soldiers were killed and eight enemy personnel were shot dead. The eastern side was fully occupied while HSA and SA personnel were stuck in the east proportion and head up north. While fighting raged, tank platoons successfully arrived as the Johns Army and the PSA were having struggle to keep the area neutralised. Sites south from Dolina but not near occupied towns. Two platoons of tanks arrived to support the Johns Army and the PSA who were still under heavy fire on the 19th of August. This gave belief that they may have victory on the 20th, although it was on the 21st the HSA and SA retreated. Seven tanks later on arrived in the scene which made fighting much longer and a bigger struggle. Many soldiers by then were killed. Most tanks of the platoons serving the Holy Spirit Army were destroyed. The Johns Army and the PSA later advanced through the western battlefield. At around 6:30 pm, the Johns Army and the PSA began to advance into the defence lines of the two enemy alliances. The two left behind rubble and destroyed structures so they could flee without getting killed. However, as Johns Army and PSA soldiers advanced, within minutes the HSA attacked the Johns Army, making it an ambush. 27 soldiers were killed and 62-80 HSA personnel perished. By 3:30 am, there was a small attack on Johns Army and PSA soldiers, only leaving two dead. The HSA and SA escaped during the night without any getting killed. By 3:30 pm, it was declared that Dolina was successfully defended by the two armies. It was the first battle the two alliances had won in awhile and affected the performance in HSA and SA soldiers once again. The HSA and SA had an ideal that they could no longer fight, since a lot of their men were killed and almost all tanks were destroyed. It was also a fact that the two alliances could of advanced much into the south, but there was no intention to. Many HSA and SA soldiers survived the battle. Aftermath In this battle both sides of the conflict sustained a heavy price to achieve their objectives. In the efforts to capture Dolina, the Holy Spirit Army and the Secretive Army suffered a high loss of their men, making it out that 223 were killed. In addition more than half of their tanks were destroyed in a quick process. Total casualties on the Johns Army and PSA side sustained 63 deaths, but none of their tanks were destroyed. 857 different kinds of weaponry were captured. This is considered to be the battle with one of the lowest counts of death in the Johns Army, up against a large force, but not as large as their own. Many casualties on the HSA and SA were in open fields, rather than in forests and behind buildings. The Battle of Dolina marked as a "bloody battlefield", of which a large majority of men lost their lives to fight for it, and to defend it. As a result, the PSA formed a regiment titled the "Dolina Regiment", which served to mark their achievements for successfully defending off the enemy. It caused more interruption in the HSA andSA which now still have trouble getting their cargo, weaponry, artillery, vehicles, and aircraft around. Category:Johns war